Men's basketball begins Southland Tournament Wednesday

KATY, Texas - The Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi men's basketball team will face Central Arkansas in the first round of the 2019 Southland Conference Basketball Tournament on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas. The game will be broadcasted live on ESPN+. Fans can also listen to the audio broadcast live on KEYS 1440 AM and follow live statistics. Visit the Southland Conference's Tournament Central.

No. 6 Islanders (14-17, 9-9) vs. No. 7 Central Arkansas (13-18, 8-10)
Wednesday, March, 13, 2019  --  7:30 p.m.
Merrell Center  --  Katy, Texas
16th Meeting (Islanders lead 13-2)  |  Game Notes
Tickets: Call 361-825-BALL or visit the Islander Ticket Window at the Southeast corner box office at the Merrell Center.

Radio: KEYS 1440 AM
Live Stats: HERE
ESPN+: HERE

HISTORY WITH UCA (ISLANDERS LEAD 13-2)
- This will be the 16th meeting between the two schools.
- All time, the Islanders are 7-1 in Corpus Christi and 6-1 in Conway.
- The two teams have never met in the Southland Tournament

THIS YEAR'S EARLIER MEETING
- The Islanders beat the Bears, 87-75, in the Southland opener back on Jan. 2, at the American Bank Center.
- Four Islanders scored in double figures led by Kareem South (22), Emmanuel Toney (13), Jashawn Talton (12) and Elijah Schmidt (11).
- Schmidt also recorded his first double-double of the year, leading the team with 13 rebounds including four on the offensive end. He added two steals, a block and an assist.
- The Islanders outrebounded UCA, 43-29, and shot 23 more free throws than the Bears.
- South hit 7-of-15 shot attempts and did not miss at the free throw line, going 6-for-6. He added seven rebounds, including four offensive rebounds, and had a game-high three steals defensively.
- Toney shot 3-for-5 from the field and went 6-for-10 at the charity stripe. He had a team-high six assists, four rebounds and two steals.

UCA BEAR (13-18, 8-10) NOTABLES
 - Central Arkansas has won its past two games and three of its last four to make it into this year's tournament as the No. 7 seed.
- The Bears went through a stretch where the team lost seven straight during late January and into most of February.
- Thatch Unruh leads UCA at 14.9 points per game in league play. The senior has scored in double figures in four-straight games and has scored at least 20 points on five occasions. He leads the team with 62 made three pointers this season.
- Unruh had 14 points against the Islanders earlier this year.
- DeAndre Jones is averaging 12.8 points per game in conference play.
- Against A&M-Corpus Christi, Jones scored 22 points with five three pointers. He also grabbed five rebounds before fouling out after 36 minutes of action.
- Hayden Koval is the team's leading rebounder at 6.0 per game. He averages 12.3 points per contest and scored in double figures in 13-of-18 league contests.

ISLANDERS LAST TIME OUT
- Texas A&M-Corpus Christi  beat Houston Baptist, 76-69, on Saturday at the American Bank Center in the reguar season finale to clinch the No. 6 seed in the Southland Conference Tournament.
- Kareem South led the way with 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting. He was 5-of-6 from the free throw line, grabbed three boards, had three assists and added a steal in 35 minutes, playing late into the second half with four fouls.
- Emmanuel Toney scored a career-high 20 points on his Senior Night. He went 8-of-11 from the field with a game-high six assists, four rebounds and a steal. He went 3-for-4 at the charity stripe and knocked down a three pointer.
- The Islanders shot 58.8 percent on the evening (30-of-51) and held the Huskies to just 27-for-70 (32.9 percent) shooting.
- Jashawn Talton scored 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting. He hit a pair of three pointers and was 3-of-4 at the free throw line. He grabbed four rebounds, had two assists, blocked a shot and recorded a steal in 34 minutes.
- Jake Babic scored 10 points and led the team with eight rebounds on his Senior Night. He hit a pair of three pointers and recorded three assists.

THE TOURNAMENT
- The winner of this week's tournament will get one of the 32 automatic bids to the 2019 NCAA Championship Tournament.
- Awaiting the winner of Wednesday's game is No. 3 seed Nicholls.
- The Islanders beat Nicholls, 75-73, at the American Bank Center back on Jan. 23, in the only meeting between the two squads.

STAY SOCIAL
- For all the latest on Islanders Men's Basketball, be sure to follow the team on Twitter (@IslandersMBB), Instagram (@IslandersMBB) and like the team's official Facebook page (IslandersMBB).